30 Games in 30 Days: #20 Akron at Buffalo

Akron	@ Buffalo

Where: Amherst, NY

When: October 17th

All Time Series: Akron 8-2

Date	Buffalo	Akron
November 13, 2008	43	40
October 27, 2007	26	10
November 9, 2006	16	31
October 8, 2005	7	13
October 9, 2004	21	44
September 27, 2003	21	38
November 16, 2002	10	21
November 17, 2001	14	41
November 11, 2000	14	49
September 11, 1999	10	17

Like most teams in the MAC East the Akron Zips spent years as the beneficiary of football futility coming out of Western New York. With the Bulls seemingly righting their ship the potential for a decent divisional rivalry is emerging. During the Football season Buffalo broke Akron's heart, and their back and The Zips returned the favor the following spring when they defeated Buffalo in the championship round of the MAC basketball tournament.

For UB this game is the first at home against an Eastern division team and, probably, the first in conference game Buffalo should be expected to win. If UB falters here they could be looking at an 0-3 to start divisional play with their next two games against the Broncos and the Falcons. In other words a loss to Akron could be the game that, for all intensive purposes, knocks them out of the divisional race.

Akron comes into this game with a bit more breathing room than the Bulls. Of their two divisional games before hand, one is a very winnable home game against Ohio. No game is a throw away but a loss here still give Akron two very winnable games (Kent, EMU) and another two should be able to compete in (home against Temple / away at Bowling Green).

In short should Akron manage to beat Ohio the week before they can lose to Buffalo and still have a very good shot at a 5-3 divisional record where as unless the Bulls shock Central Michigan, Western Michigan, or Temple, a loss at the hands of Akron realistically limits them to a 4-4 divisional mark.

Last year's game between Buffalo and Akron was one of the best games in the Mid American Conference, if not college football. The game sent the two teams on distinctly different trajectories with UB defeating Bowling Green the following week to clinch the MAC East and Akron falling out the the divisional race and bowl contention by dropping their last two games.

Two times in the first half UB went ahead by ten, 10-0 eleven minutes into the first quarter and 17-7 slightly more than ten minutes into the second. Akron would close and tie it at 17-17 early in the third. From that point the two teams just traded punches until Dennis Kennedy's one yard run with 23 seconds left sent the game into overtime. The teams continued to trade punches in overtime until Chris Jacquemain coughed up the ball on the first possession of the fourth overtime. UB would kick a field goal to end the game minutes later.

Its a three and a half hour drive from Akron to Buffalo which, for a Saturday afternoon game, leaves plenty of time to tank up and take 90 into Amherst for some pregame tailgating.

Five MAC wideouts named on Biletnikoff watchlist

Five Mid American conference receivers were put on the 2009 Biletnikoff Award Watch List. The Fred Biletnikoff Award has been presented since 1994 to America's top college football receiver by the TQC Foundation, Inc. (The Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc.), an independent not-for-profit organization.

A national selection committee consisting of over 150 journalists, commentators, broadcasters, and former players selects the award winner. No member of the board of trustees of the foundation has a vote. Any college player who receives the football through the forward pass is eligible (wide receiver, running back, tight end) to be selected as the award winner, although every winner since 1994 has been a wide receiver.

Not since 1997 when then Marshall's Randy Moss won the award has a player form the MAC won this award. This years Nominees from the MAC are:

Antonio Brown, Central Michigan:



Last year the then sophomore came up just short of a thousand yards for the second straight year (950 in 2007, 998 in 2008) but in terms of overall yardage he was ranked fourth in the nation. Brown is also a proficient returner with leading the nation in punt return yardage (20.5 ypr) last year and taking one punt back for a touchdown, He also is an All MAC kick returner. He is so diverse as a player that he is just one of just two players in NCAA history to earn all-conference first-team honors at three positions in the same season

Naaman Roosevelt, Buffalo:


Roosevelt gained national attention for his walk off Hail Mary reception against Temple last year but his 1,402 years receiving was good for fourth in college football and his 13 touchdowns tied him for eighth in the FBS. Last year he set single-season school records for receptions (104), yards receiving (1,402) and receiving touchdowns (13) and came on strong late in the year with five of his seven 100+ yard games.

Taylor Price, Ohio:




Taylor Price enters his Senior following a 2008 campaign where he managed 694 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions, his most notable game was against MAC East rival Akron where he caught eight passed for one hundred yards and three touchdown to help the Bobcats walk away with a 49-42 decision. With the loss of Tight End Andrew Mooney, whoever wins the Bobcats starting quarterback job may have to rely more heavily on the wide outs this season, so there is room for Price to go over a thousand yards this year if that's the case.

Jacory Stone, Eastern Michigan:



The performance of Jacory Stone in 2008 gives hope to Eagles fans for 2009. His 943 receiving yards was in the top fifty nationally among all receivers (43) and more than double his sophomore numbers. His performance in the late season loss to Temple and win against Central Michigan, a combined 28 catches for 248 yards, were two of his best games. He will face both teams again and should not have too much trouble getting himself over a thousand yards for his senior campaign.

Stephen Williams, Toledo:


Best vid I could find, let me know if you have something better
Stephen Williams fell off a bit last year in total yardage (781) but his eight touchdowns, first on the team, were huge throughout the year. His best two efforts of the year came in losing games (114 yards two touchdowns against Fresno and 136 yards with two touchdowns against Akron). With the departure of Nick Moore Williams becomes the main weapon for Aaron Opelt and should break a thousand this year.

2009 Biletnikoff Award Watch List

---

Kris Adams, UTEP
Seyi Ajirotutu, Fresno State
Brandon Banks, Kansas State
Doug Beaumont, Louisville
Arrelious Benn, Illinois
Dezmon Briscoe, Kansas
Antonio Brown, Central Michigan
DeAndre Brown, Southern Miss
Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
Tyron Carrier, Houston
Eric Decker, Minnesota
Jacoby Ford, Clemson
Cortez Gent, Florida Atlantic
Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati
AJ Green, Georgia
Rashaun Greer, Colorado State
D'Andre Goodwin, Washington
T.Y. Hilton, Florida International
Shay Hodge, Ole Miss
Jerrel Jernigan, Troy
Damaris Johnson, Tulsa
Julio Jones, Alabama
Brandon LaFell, LSU
Detron Lewis, Texas Tech
Kerry Meier, Kansas
Dennis Pitta, BYU
Taylor Price, Ohio
Aldrick Robinson, SMU
Naaman Roosevelt, Buffalo
Greg Salas, Hawaii
Jordan Shipley, Texas
Jacory Stone, Eastern Michigan
Golden Tate, Notre Dame
Damian Williams, USC
Stephen Williams, Toledo
Ryan Wolfe, UNLV

30 Games in 30 Days: #25 Ohio at Buffalo

Ohio	@ Buffalo

When: November 10th

Where: Amherst, NY

All Time: Ohio 7-5

Date	Buffalo	Ohio
October 28, 2008	32	19
October 6, 2007	31	10
October 21, 2006	7	42
October 29, 2005	20	34
September 25, 2004	0	34
October 25, 2003	26	17
September 28, 2002	32	34
November 3, 2001	44	0
October 7, 2000	20	42
September 25, 1999	6	45
September 21, 1963	7	0
October 27, 1962	6	41

Last years victory in Athens Ohio, the first for UB in more than 40 years, kicked off Buffalo's run of East division victories leading to their first outright division since joining the MAC back in the late nineties. For Ohio the loss removed the possibility of bowl contention and highlighted an area that killed them all year, turnovers and missed opportunities. Four fumbles, several losses due to downs, an interception late in the first half, and missed extra point were the difference in a game where Ohio put up more yards than Buffalo including torching the Bulls through the air for almost three hundred yards and still lost by a pretty convincing score.

One reason this game makes the top 30 in the MAC is because of the paths crossed by its coaches. Turner Gill played and coached on Nebraska teams under Tom Osborn while Frank Solich was on staff so this game should have interested fans in Lincoln, Buffalo, and Athens. Both Coaches have won a MAC East title but of the two Gill is the only to add a conference championship to his resume.

Ohio enters this season with a slight quarterback controversy as Boo Jackson played well when Theo Scott was sidelined for the year early in the season.

Another reason this make the list is because by this point in the season the loser of this game will likely find themselves behind the eight ball in the eastern division:

Ohio should be more in the mix for the East division this year than last when losses to CMU, WMU, and Temple put them in a hole. For Ohio this years game is in the middle of their most difficult stretch along with the Bulls they face Ball State, Northern Illinois and Temple in consecutive weeks. The Bobcats are going to need to take one, maybe two games in this stretch to be bowl eligible and Buffalo is a team they know well.

Turner gill gets close to the hardest cross division draw in the season CMU at home and WMU on the road. Combine their west draw with an early trip to Philadelphia to play divisional rival Temple and the other five divisional games become critical for UB. Ohio is their last home game of the year before road trips to Miami and Kent, Buffalo will likely need this game if they are going to win the east.

This game will be nationally televised on ESPN2 so if you can't make the trip to Western New York just turn on your TV or find a decent sports bar.

#30 Temple at Navy

#29 Morgan State at Akron

#28 Miami at Kent

#27 Toledo at Ball State

#26 Army at Eastern Michigan

Five MAC Halfbacks on the Doak Walker watch list

MiQuale Lewis	James Starks	Brandon West	Eugene Jarvis	DaJuane Collins

Five Mid American Conference running backs are on the list of 33, in the 19 years this award has been given no MAC player has ever won. While it will be a tall order for MiQuale Lewis and James Starks to match their level of play play from 2008 now that they missing their Davis and Willy not to mention significant portions of their offensive lines. Both finished in the top 20 for the nation last year and could be in the running when the season is over. Jarvis and West lost much of to injury and it will be interesting to see what he can do with 12 games....

Which MAC Running back has the best chance of winning the Doak Walker Award

because I missed DaJuane Collins I will have a runoff when this expires

The Doak Walker Award, named after the SMU legend, is presented ever year to the best college running back in the nation. The Doak Walker award is the only in college football that requires its recipient be in good academic standing and on target to graduate within a year of his current class.

Four Mid American Conference running backs are on the list of 33, in the 19 years this award has been given no MAC player has ever won. While it will be a tall order for MiQuale Lewis and James Starks to match their level of play play from 2008 now that they missing their Davis and Willy not to mention significant portions of their offensive lines. Both finished in the top 20 for the nation last year and could be in the running when the season is over. Jarvis and West lost much of to injury and it will be interesting to see what he can do with 12 games.

Last year MiQuale Lewis rushed for 1,701 yards (3rd in the nation) and scored 22 touchdowns (Tied for first). He also caught more than 30 passes for three hundred yards making him one of the most potent threats in all of College football.

James Starks put up monster numbers despite missing nearly three games last year (11 quarters). Before the loss to UConn he was among the best in the league in yards per game. His 1333 yards per game was 17th in the nation and his 16 touchdowns ranks him tied for 13th.

In his Junior year Brandon West cracked a thousand yards (1026) ranking him in 48th nationally. Like Starks West missed significant playing time last year sitting against CMU and playing seeing only limited carries against Ball State. This year with WMU losing some key wideout he may have quite a few more touches.

Eugene Jarvis missed three games last year and never really got back on track after leaving the Delaware game with a 'minor' injury that ended up putting him on the sideline for three games. Even with that he managed more than a thousand total years (801 on the ground, and 273 receiving) and ten total touchdown. If he can stay healthy this year he will almost certainly improve those numbers.

DaJuane Collins (sorry for missing him the first time around) also pent time on the sidelines and never seemed quite the same after the game against Fresno, still with two missed games and some injuries putting up 700 years rushing paired with five touchdowns was good enough to get him on the list. With an experienced and offensive line returning and new leadership over one thousand yards seems very realistic.

The recipient of the 2009 Doak Walker Award will be announced live on ESPN on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards on Thursday, December 10. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas, on Friday, February 19, 2010.

2009 Doak Walker Award Watch List

Armando Allen (Jr.), Notre Dame
André Anderson (Sr.), Tulane
Reggie Arnold (Sr.), Arkansas State
Baron Batch (Jr.), Texas Tech
Jahvid Best (Jr.), California, Berkeley
LeGarrette Blount (Sr.), Oregon
Chris Brown (Sr.), Oklahoma
Donald Buckram (Jr.), UTEP
John Clay (So.), Wisconsin
DaJuane Collins (Sr.), Toledo
Jeff Demps (So.), Florida
Noel Devine (Jr.), West Virginia
Andre Dixon (Sr.), Connecticut
Shaun Draughn (Jr.), North Carolina
Jonathan Dwyer (Jr.), Georgia Tech
Jamelle Eugene (Sr.), North Carolina State
Darren Evans (So.), Virginia Tech
Damion Fletcher (Sr.), Southern Mississippi
Toby Gerhart (Sr.), Stanford
Cyrus Gray (So.), Texas A&M
Nicolas (Nic) Grigsby (Jr.), Arizona
DuJuan Harris (Jr.), Troy
Roy Helu, Jr. (Jr.), Nebraska
Dan Herron (So.), Ohio State
Kendall Hunter (Jr.), Oklahoma State
Mark Ingram (So.), Alabama
Eugene Jarvis (Sr.), Kent State
MiQuale Lewis (Sr.), Ball State
Darius Marshall (Jr.), Marshall
Brandon Minor (Sr.), Michigan
DeMarco Murray (Jr.), Oklahoma
Daniel Porter (Sr.), Louisiana Tech
Jacquizz Rodgers (So.), Oregon State
Charles Scott (Sr.), LSU
Da’Rel Scott (Jr.), Maryland
Jake Sharp (Sr.), Kansas
Michael Smith (Sr.), Arkansas
C.J. Spiller (Sr.), Clemson
James Starks (Sr.), Buffalo
Curtis Steele (Sr.), Memphis
Phillip Tanner (Sr.), Middle Tennessee State
Vai Taua (Jr.), Nevada
Jordan Todman (So.), Connecticut
Joseph Turner (Sr.), TCU
Brandon West (Sr.), Western Michigan

MAC Baseball Players making the most of the summer

Before vacation I talked about how Ryan Mace of Kent was owing in the summer leagues, as the weeks wear on more and more MAC players are getting noticed. Buffalo and Western Michigan both have numerous players representing them in various summer all star games.

Buffalo: Third Baseman Jacob Rosenbeck one of 15 UB players seeing action this summer was named Most Valuable Player of the New England Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game. His two hits and game tying RBI were enough to secure the honor.

In 32 games with the Holyoke Blue Sox his .311 batting average is ties him for second on the team, he is joined on the Blue Sox by fellow Bull Rob Lawler.

The Melville Millionaires of the Western Major Baseball league also have two UB players in Kevin Crumb (second on the team with his 3.83 ERA) and Brian Lattanzi.

Western Michigan: The Bronco's put up four All Star players in their respective leagues. Casey Webber received his first all-star nomination while Chris Lewis, Kyle Galbraith and Brian Stroud repeated as all-stars for the second summer in a row.

The Chillicothe Paints were fortunate to have first year Bronco Casey Webber who ranks third in the Prospect League with a 0.98 ERA (four earned runs in 36.2 innings pitched) and 50 strikeouts. On July 11, Webber fanned 14 batters in a seven-inning, complete game effort.

The Battle Creek Bombers (Northwoods League) Have Chris Lewis who is batting .333 with 35 RBIs (second best in the league for both categories).

Drew Willy, we harly knew ye'

UB Fans will have to be happy with Trevor Scott and Jamey Richard. The Buffalo News reported a few days ago that Willy, the only Bull, to get a sniff at the NFL in 2008 was released. Thus far there has been no word of any teams picking him up and with camps well under way I don't expect Drew has nearly the options he did right after draft day when he chose Baltimore from seven other offers.

It was a surprise too many that Willy was not drafted he had respectable numbers and was much touted by ESPN's Mel Kiper as an absolute late round steal:

“He ran a 4.9 [40-yard dash]. Tom Brady ran a 5.22. Its how you maneuver in the pocket and he does that very effectively. He's got more game experience than any quarterback in this draft. To answer your question, I don’t know why he lasted until the end of the draft and went undrafted.” -- Mel Kiper

When Willy first went as an un-drafted free agent to the ravens he looked to have an outside chance at the third string role but when the ravens picked up Beck from Miami the chances of him making the team dropped dramatically. The Ravens are deep at quarterback Flacco, Smith and Beck are up there are one of the better sets in football.

I waited a few days to post figuring there would be some announcement as to his status, would Bill Polian former Bills GM and someone who has looked at UB Talent in the past (Drew Haddad, Jamey Richard) snatch him up? Would the ravens announce him to the practice squad? or would the CFL / AFL pick him up.

So far there has been no word on what's up with Drew, sometime next month I'm going to do an update on all MAC players drafted maybe Ill tack on a Drew update if there is one at that time.